


Not All That Meets The Eye

by Starshaker



Series: Gotham - Run This Town [2]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-25
Updated: 2015-06-03
Packaged: 2018-03-25 18:31:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3820543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starshaker/pseuds/Starshaker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oswald personally deals with an inconvenience at the GCPD, 6 months since he had last seen or spoken to James Gordon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Once upon a time I thought you meant much more to me  
> Than the money in the bank and the blood in my arteries  
> Just call back the jury  
> And I'll make my case tonight – Farewell Fighter ‘Its all in the Hips’

Officer Reilley had been causing trouble for quite some time, on a double payroll and still making a nuisance of himself when shipments passed through his neighbourhood. Oswald was going to set an example of the officer in front of his comrades, and things of this nature are best handled in person. Butch hadn’t agreed but after all these months Oswald still wasn’t sure of him. Trust was a precious commodity he rarely spent, even on his right hand man.

The lackeys stormed up the steps of the GCPD as Oswald savoured each step, anticipation was brewing in his gut; it had been a long time since he’d ventured inside, seen certain acquaintances. The room appeared in shock more eyes on the way Reilley was struggling against his captors than on his entrance.

“Ladies and gentlemen do excuse us this will take but a moment,” He called out, his eyes skimming the room for possible threats in the audience. Only a handful of officers had their hands poised upon their weapons but nope had taken them out as yet. His gaze lingered on Jim Gordon’s desk for but a moment, grateful in his gut that he wasn’t present. 

It had been 6 months since they’d last spoken. Jim claiming an end to any and all communication between them; no more favours, invitations, or private meetings. Setting an example to the rest of the department about just how relations between the two sides of Gotham should be. Oswald had not handled himself well but his ruthlessness in the following days had earned him both loyalty and esteem in the eyes of his superiors. Oswald had graciously claimed his efforts had their foundation in a renewed focus and carefully left out how that focus was a distraction for himself.

Oswald stepped up to the cringing officer who had been forced to his knees in the centre of the room. Blood trickled from a cut to his head where he had likely been thrown into a desk by the look of the scattered papers. Then again the GCPD had never been the most organised of departments, it’s what made the institution so easy to manipulate. He cocked his head to one side as he stared down at Reilley.

“Thomas,” He drawled, “Tell me what it is that drives you?”

“W-what?” The man stuttered. A police officer. In Gotham. And he can’t stand being threatened without letting his nerves getting the better of him. Perhaps he was holding double crossers to too higher standards.

“As a police officer I suppose it might be law and order, but I doubt that’s your highest motivator. Your daughter Melanie maybe,” Oswald leant down sliding a switch blade from his pocket and holding it a hairs breath away.

“She’s innocent,” He begged, It was almost tedious how similarly these encounters went.

“This is Gotham,” Oswald said plainly

“Please,”

“You won’t double cross me again,” The blade barely touched the man’s cheek yet it drew a line of blood from his cheek to his jaw and tore further when the guy flinched from the pain, cowed and shook his head.

“I won’t,”

“I always do like to see a man realise his worth,” Oswald smirked feeling the thrill of inflicting pain shiver through his muscles like a chill wave of ecstasy.

“Cobblepot!” Jim’s yell caught him off guard and he jerked up to see Jim stood in the middle of the foyer and approaching steadily, his gun raised and pointing directly at Oswald’s chest. Oswald could feel his heart pick up its rhythm but it wasn’t in fear of being shot. He blinked slowly and took a step forwards, meeting Jim half way; still with the gun levels at his chest and still wearing a half smile.

“Tell them to put him down and step away,”

“Spoilsport,” He mock scowled as he waved a hand and Reilley was shoved to the ground and the men stepped away. Butch simultaneously stepped up to Oswald’s side. His imposing presence was not how Oswald hoped to handle this situation.

“Take the men back out, I’ll be there in a moment,” He told him firmly, out ruling any suggestion otherwise. Jim’s gaze flicked to each one as they passed him and Oswald took the moment to study the changes in him. The exhaustion pulling at his features, he must have recently pulled a muscle in his shoulder by the way he was tensed unevenly and his normally controlled breathing was quicker and uneven. It was almost a disappointment when the last man passed them and Jim’s cold gaze levelled back on him. Oswald was a fool to expect anything else.

“The next time I find you’ve pulled a stunt like this I won’t give you the chance to walk away,” Jim warned.

“I look forward to it,” He narrowed his eyes, nodded once and stepped out around the detective. He’s missed his chance to… he didn’t know what it was he hoped to do but he felt a hollowness re-emerge in his gut that he’d been pushing down for some time.

 

The daylight had barely hit his skin when a multitude of gunshots sounded and an incredible pain had him crumpling down hitting the stone steps hard. He’s survived a lot of things, this seemed rather trivial. Painful and anticlimactic but not very important. He felt dampness in his clothes that briefly registered as being his own blood and then everything was fading. He felt a jerk and someone yelling his name. He must be dying because Jim Gordon was leaning in above him telling him to hold on and stay with him. 

He always wondered if people truly went mad in their final moments. He’d witnessed enough torture to hear people babble out their delusions before their hearts stopped beating and their body gave them up for whatever was next. Maybe these delusions were worth it.


	2. Chapter 2

“You realise this is a morgue not a hospital Jim. He’s on no pain meds, no heart monitor…”

“I don’t know if he’ll be safe if I take him to a hospital. What if there’s just going to be someone waiting there to finish the job,”

Oswald didn’t hear how she replied as he drifted off from consciousness again.

When he next opened his eyes the doctor was stood beside him, her fingers pressed against his wrist and staring at her watch. He waited until she looked to pull away and reached out to grab her wrist in return.

“Dr… Thompkins?”

“I’m not going to ask how you know that,” She smiled down at him and reached for a cup of water set behind him.

“I make a habit to keep myself well informed,” He nodded his thanks as he took the drink.

“Then you’ll want to know how bad it is then?”

“Please,” He sipped the water slowly the doctor listed off what had happened, what she’d done, intermittently warning him not to move quickly. “You’re lucky, I’m lucky, but I would recommend getting you to a doctor with more supplies than what I have around me,” She waved an absent hand to the cabinets around her.

“If I could inconvenience you then, I would be grateful of you driving me to the nearest hospital, I understand your other patients are in no hurry,”

“What if there’s someone there?” Gordon cut in and Oswald’s gaze shot across to where he was sat next to the door, hands clenched into fists on his knees.

“I’ll take my chances, since they haven’t stormed the building as yet to find me they’ll have cut their losses and regrouped if I was truly their target its likely they’d be waiting outside or – mother,” His voice faded to a whisper and he mentally cursed himself for not thinking of her safety sooner.

“I’ll send someone over to check on her,” Jim nodded.

“Thank you,” Still half dazed with the building of fear at the prospect of harm coming to his mother.

“Just doing my job,”

“I’ll just go sign out and grab my stuff and meet you out by my car,” She dug the keys out of her bag and threw them to Jim. “Don’t rush yourself, I don’t need you bleeding out in my car,” Oswald nodded and she left the room.

“It is unfortunate,” Oswald hissed out as each movement unearthed further pain.

“You got shot. Getting shot is unfortunate,”

“Unfortunate is you feeling obliged to help me. You made it clear how inconvenient our friendship was to you,”

“Didn’t realise we were friends,” Gordon muttered but his support was constant and careful.

“And now you’re lying to me. You made good use of our friendship while it suited you, and when it didn’t you cut loose and here we are,”

“You don’t know everything,”

“What I know or don’t according to you is irrelevant. I know what happened between us and I know you James Gordon, I know you very well,” He reached up and cupped Jim’s jaw with one hand, Jim tilted his head away but didn’t object or back out of reach as Oswald held his gaze for a moment, feeling the quickening pulse beneath his skin. 

Oswald took a breath and tore his eyes away. He lowered himself into the seat of Leslie’s car wincing as the position put pressure on the wounds only recently sewn shut. He looked up, about to ask the detective if he had anywhere else to be when the door to the offices shut heavily and he looked up to see the doctor crossed the lot towards them.

“Harvey needs you upstairs, the whole place is still in chaos up there,”

“Okay, stay safe,” He pecked her cheek and disappeared back into the building without looking back.

 

“I appreciate you’re assistance Doctor, If there’s anything I can assist you with in return I would happily oblige,” Oswald pressed a hand to the bandage over his wound as she turned a corner.

“Satisfy my curiosity we’ll call it even,”

“That’s... generous of you, what are you curious of?”

“How James Gordon, self-sustaining righteous man of Gotham became so entranced by the rising star of the criminal underworld,”

“I’m not sure if I can answer that. He saved my life and I returned the favour. I’m not sure that explains his behaviour though,”

“You barter in favours don’t you?”

“Occasionally,”

“Then you can owe me the answer or a favour, whichever comes up first,”

“I’m in no position to object,”

“Will your mother be okay with police on her doorstep? Is there anyone else you could call to look in on her?”

“ I…” He reached for his pocket to find his phone covered in blood and stubbornly refusing to turn on, “I’m sure she’ll be fine. There’ll likely be one of my men get to her before any police officer arrives anyway,”

“You don’t seem very shaken up for someone who has just been attacked. Were you expecting it?”

“My line of work favours aggressive moves and violent repercussions,”

“Not the only line of work,” She added, eyes still fixed on the road.

“Most of Gotham works with such ethics I know,”

“Jim told me once you knew it was going to get worse,”

“Gotham’s my home, I can feel it in my bones like you feel your heartbeat in your ears when you have a gun in your hands or knife at your throat,”

“Somehow I think those feelings are different for you and I,”

“Perhaps,” He muttered as watched as the hospital came into view. Oswald tried hard not to dwell on how the pleasure he took form his work defined that difference; between the woman Jim Gordon loved and criminal he despised. One death would earn the detective’s mourning and vengeance, and the other… no doubt his relief.

 

Oswald wondered whether he should have indeed called someone to meet them there as the doctor went ahead inside to get help to move him. The hospital was as dire as when he last visited. Tall concrete walls, little but artificial light if any light at all.

When Dr Thompkins returned she was flanked by two hospital staff complete with a stretcher. As she opened the door and ducked down to help him out ever movement seemed to cause more pain. Finally he was lying flat on his back, being pushed through the dingy corridors, pain ebbing from every joint and limb and Dr Thompkins hovering over him.

“Would you like me to stay with you Oswald?” She asked, her hand resting tentatively across the bandage on his arm.

“If you associate with me for too long you become a target. You’ve helped me enough thank you,”

“I’m a doctor, if I can look after you I will,”

“And Jim will not thank me for putting you in any danger,”

“I’m not under his jurisdiction,”

“I couldn’t ask you to,” She hesitated when a hand tapped her on the shoulder and Butch stepped into Oswald’s periphery.

“I’ll keep an eye on the boss ma’am,” Thompkins glanced between them and Oswald found her protectiveness and fast formed loyalty odd to behold. When she’d apparently deemed Butch no threat she turned her back on him and looked back down at Oswald.

“I’ll check in tomorrow okay,” She told him

“Thank you,” He watched Butch, as Butch in turn watched the doctor leave.

“Sorry boss, took a while to find where you’d got to,” He said when his gaze dropped back to him. “What’s the damage?”

“Five bullets. Two only scraped, two removed by the doctor at the precinct and one still in my side. No word on who did this yet?” He asked, expecting Butch to have already supplied a name or suspicion.

“Got people looking into it. No sources yet,”

“Excuse me sir. I need to take the patient into surgery now,” A nurse interrupted, pushing between them.

“I’ll be here when you come out boss,” He said and nodded curtly as the nurse took the head of the trolley and jolted the trolley into movement. Oswald was wheeled away. Soon to be gassed unconscious, picked apart and theoretically have all the pain taken away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes. Please let me know so I can fix it. Hope you enjoy wherever this story leads.

**Author's Note:**

> My first Gotham Fic. Add Kudos and comment if you'd like to see me write more :) x Thanks for reading.


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